Acuity grows with record assets; SBA selects Wisconsin 2010 Small Business Champions of the Year
Acuity grows with record assets
Sheboygan-based Acuity has released its 2009 annual report, showing the company’s surplus grew more than 18 percent to an all-time high and a percentage increase that was nearly three times greater than the industry norm.
Additionally, Acuity set a record for having over one dollar of policyholder surplus for every dollar of written premium.
“Surplus ensures we meet our financial obligations to policyholders when losses occur,” said Wendy Schuler, vice president of finance for Acuity. “Particularly in today’s troubled economic times, independent agents and consumers need to know their insurance protection is built on a solid foundation.”
“Our strong surplus position and favorable leverage ratio allow us to be a broader market for our agents, take on more business, and provide more opportunity for our staff,” said Wally Waldhart, vice president of sales and communications for the company.
Acuity’s assets reached an all-time record $2.14 billion.
“The insurance industry, national economy, and global marketplace have been riddled with layoffs, bankruptcies, and uncertainty. In contrast, Acuity’s surplus position and operational performance have allowed us to navigate this Great Recession, provide the financial protection our agents and policyholders depend on, and have no layoffs,” Salzmann said. “We are not only proud of our performance in 2009, but incredibly optimistic about the years ahead.”
SBA selects Wisconsin 2010 Small Business Champions of the Year
The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the Wisconsin winners of its Small Business Champions and special category award winners.
The southeastern Wisconsin winners are:
- SBA Financial Services Champion – regional winner – Dave Latona, vice president of lending, Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., Milwaukee.
- Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award – regional winner – Wendy K. Baumann, president/CVO of The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), Milwaukee,
- SBA Small Business Exporter of the Year – Aksel Sidem, Jeff Wnuk and Sebastien Imbert, S3 International, Milwaukee.
- SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Nicholas Ponsonby, founder and CEO, Asset Recyclers, Lake Geneva.
- SBA Emerging Small Business Person of the Year – Manisha Dotson, president, Nisha Group, Milwaukee.
- SBA Minority Small Business Champion – Ossie Kendrix, Jr., manager of emerging business enterprise program, City of Milwaukee.
- Small Business Development Center Service Excellence Award – Tim Peterson, Small Business Development Center in Milwaukee.
- District Director’s Award – Isabela Sardas, Ph.D, program director, Childynamics, LLC, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day Treatment Center, Wauwatosa.
The Wisconsin SBA celebration of our 2010 Small Business winners will be held June 4, 2010 at SBA and SCORE’s Awards Presentation Breakfast at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. For more information, contact Mary Trimmier at (414) 297-1093.
